This was an ideal way for them to prepare for that televised encounter at Elland Road and Bielsa lavished Hernandez with praise afterwards: 'Pablo finds solutions.

'He has the capability to read moments of the game. It's something very hard to teach and something very hard to learn. In this aspect, Pablo is a very wise player.'

Leeds should have scored six or seven at the Madejski but Patrick Bamford did not have his finishing boots on. They have a worse goal difference than their promotion rivals, which could come back to bite them.

'If you have a look at the table, you can only reach the conclusion that we have many games to play,' continued Bielsa. 'We will have to try to win each game.'

For Leeds, this was another significant step towards automatic promotion following a 15-year absence from the top flight. For Reading, this was another day to forget.

Two years ago Reading were a penalty shootout away from the Premier League but they lost to Huddersfield and manager Jaap Stam was later sacked. So was his successor Paul Clement.

Jose Gomes took over at Christmas and has lifted them out of the bottom three but they never looked like laying a glove on Leeds.

Klich's opener set Leeds on course to regain top spot in the Championship by a point

Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa bellows instructions from the sidelines as his team dominate

'We need points to improve as soon as possible from this position,' Gomes said afterwards.

Leeds were wearing their bright yellow kit and Reading appeared dazzled throughout, despite heading into this unbeaten in their last five home league games.

It took the visitors 15 minutes to take the lead when Bamford dummied Luke Ayling's low cross and Klich produced the finish for his eighth strike this season.

It became 2-0 in the 22nd minute as Ayling fed Hernandez, who had his back to goal. The 33-year-old Spaniard turned smartly and squeezed a shot in at the near post.

Bielsa's side searched for a third before the break and got it when Hernandez, 25 yards out, fired the ball into the far corner. It flew beyond Emi Martinez like a rocket.

Kaiser Chiefs, the Leeds-born band, were in attendance at the Madejski. Despite these two sides' league positions, even they might not have predicted such a first-half riot.

Close to the Leeds support was a pocket of Reading fans. They are supposed to be the club's 'singing section' but we hardly heard a peep, other than the times they goaded Bamford for his glaring second-half misses. To their credit, their own players gave them little to shout about otherwise.

Playmaker Hernandez was in irresistible form and was at the heart of Leeds' best moments